Image courtesy of rainycat's Flickr page - Federer:
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Photo courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr Page - Rafael Nadal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/5756335239
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Photo courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr Page - Novak Djokovic: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/5763317762
We have all heard about how the "Big Four" of men's tennis has dominated the sport in an unprecedented manner for a historically long time now. Those four men are, of course, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.
Indeed, when you look at the level of success that these four men have enjoyed, all of it at the expense of the other players on the men's tour, it is staggering. Since Roger Federer grabbed the number one ranking shortly after winning his second career Grand Slam at the Australian Open early in 2004, one of those four guys has been ranked number one every single week. Also since then, there have been only seven Grand Slams titles won by other men's players. And if you add Stan Wawrinka to that list of great men's tennis players during this era - and certainly an argument to that effect could be made - then there would be only four Grand Slam titles won by everybody else since Federer took control of the number one ranking early in 2004.
When you look at the individual numbers for each Grand Slam, it becomes even more impressive. The most success that people other than the "Big Four" or possibly the "Big Five" has come at the US Open. There, Juan del Potro broke through with a win in 2009, and then Marin Čilić emerged victorious in 2014. Wawrinka also won the US Open in 2016. Only twice since 2004 has anyone outside of these few elite men broken through to win a Australian Open other than one of the "Big Four," and again, one of those was Wawrinka. The only other man to have broken through was Marat Safin in 2005, when he stunned Federer to win the Australian Open. The numbers grow even more daunting with the two European Grand Slam championships, as only Gastón Gaudio in 2004 (before Nadal arrived on the scene) and, again, Stan Wawrinka won there. Most of those were won by Nadal, of course, although Federer won in 2009, and Djokovic won in 2016. Then you get to Wimbledon, and literally not one man outside of the "Big Four" has won there, including Stan Wawrinka. The last time someone not named Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray won at Wimbledon was Leyton Hewitt, all the way back in 2002 - sixteen years ago!
So the "Big Four" have dominated in an unprecedented manner for just shy of a decade and a half now, and that dominance is even greater if you add Wawrinka. Of course, you could make the argument that Wawrinka does not belong in that group. Wawrinka himself made that argument by suggesting that his level of consistency has not been on the level with those other guys, as evidence by the fact that he is the only one of the "Big Five," if you will, never to have been ranked number one. By the same token you could likely make an argument that Murray is the weak link of the "Big Four," having won far and away the least number of Grand Slams among them, and having also spent far and away the least amount of time as the world's number one of the four men, as well.
However, one thing remains certain: men's tennis during the open era has never seen this level of dominance by so few men. First, it was Federer shattering all kinds of records, spending more straight time undisturbed atop the rankings (237 consecutive weeks) than any other man ever has before, and piling up tournament wins, and especially Grand Slam wins. At some point, from the 2005 Wimbledon on, he made the finals of more consecutive events than any other man in history, and made it to ten straight Grand Slam finals (winning eight of them), and qualified for 18 Grand Slam finals out of 19 overall played, only failing to reach the Australian Open final in 2008. He won 12 of those Grand Slam finals during that time Then Nadal broke through in 2005 and shot up to the number two ranking, but at first he specialized just on the clay courts. Eventually, he broke through elsewhere, winning the 2008 Wimbledon and taking the number one ranking for the first time, while never breaking stride at the French Open. He would win at Roland Garros nine times in a ten year span, and managed to consistently win Grand Slams and reach the number one ranking for years since. Then came Djokovic with an excellent year in 2007, and he broke through with his first Grand Slam win at the Australian in 2008. It would take a few years for him to win another Grand Slam and come into his own, but once he did, he had one of the greatest eras that any man has ever seen, winning 11 Grand Slams from 2011 through 2016, including that incredible four straight slams from Wimbledon 2015 through the French in 2016. During that stretch, he was ranked number one for all but one year, with Nadal breaking through to end 2013 as the number one. Andy Murray went to nine Grand Slam finals, breaking through for a win for the first time at Wimbledon in 2012, and so far, winning three career Grand Slam titles, as well as two consecutive Olympic gold medals. He ended 2016 as the number one ranked man, and held that distinction for 41 consecutive weeks.
Overall, Federer has spent more weeks as the top ranked man (309 weeks throughout his career) than any other man in tennis history. Fifth on that list is Novak Djokovic, with 223 weeks overall as the number one ranked man, followed closely by the current number one, Rafael Nadal, with 177 weeks atop the men's rankings. Add those together, that is 709 weeks with one of those three men holding the number one ranking. There are 521 weeks in a decade, and one of these three guys have held the number one ranking for just about a decade and a half, and counting. Remember, Nadal currently holds the top spot, and if he slips at all, Federer, the current number two, might take it. From February 2, 2004, when Federer first clmbed to reach the number one ranking, to November 6, 2016, when Andy Murray (again, one of the "Big Four") wrestled it away from Djokovic, these three men played tag team with the top ranking, exchanging turns atop the rankings, and keeping literally all other men's tennis players at bay during that incredibly long stretch of over 12 straight years! I think it is fair to say that we will never see an era quite like that again, with so few men completely dominating the men's field. And remember, they had to compete against one another, and still all three broke through to win an incredible amount of tournament and achieve stunning levels of success, while having to compete with the other greats of all time in the sport!
I remember feeling in awe of the greatness in the rivarly between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the nineties and into the early 2000's. Indeed, it was one of the great rivalries in the sport's history, yet I do not believe that either man can hold a candle to the legendary status of the top three of the "Big Four." These three men - Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic - are probably among the top three players in history, if not the top three of all time. They have been so good, that it is almost frightening to think of how much more successful any of them might have been in the absence of one, let alone both, of the other two men. Can you imagine how many more Grand Slams and weeks atop the rankings any of these men might have enjoyed without the others breaking through and holding them back? As reat as Sampras and Agassi undeniably were (and Agassi was my favorite tennis player), they never reached the level of excellence that these three have reached.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the top three of the "Big Four" is that each of them has accomplished some incredible things that the others cannot boast. Between Sampras and Agassi, it was easy. Sampras had won more Grand Slams, and spent way more time atop the rankings, yet Agassi achieved the career Grand Slam, as well as the career Golden Slam. But with the guys out there right now, they had to do more to stand out against the others. All three of the top three guys have won the career Grand Slam. Federer spent more time atop the rankings than any other man in history, both consecutively and overall. He also had that stretch of ten straight Grand Slam finals and 18 of 19 Grand Slam finals overall. His achievements consistently qualify him in the minds of most as the greatest men's tennis player ever. Nadal won more French Open titles than any other man has won any other single Grand Slam event, winning more French Open titles than all but six men have won combined Grand Slam titles. He also is one of the few men to have achieved a convincing winning record against Federer, and he is the only one of the three to have won the career Golden Slam. And Djokovic won four straight Grand Slam titles, becoming only the third man in history to have done so, and the only one in history to have done that on three different surfaces. Plus, he is the only man during this era to consistently get the better of Nadal, achieving something that Federer never seemed capable of doing by defeating Nadal at the French Open (he is one of only two men to have done so, and the only one to have done it while Nadal was not seriously impaired with an injury).
A while ago, one of the "Big Four," (I think it was Nadal, although it might have been Djokovic) suggested that the era of dominance for these four men was coming to an end. Perhaps, but consider that the last six Grand Slam championships have been won by Federer and Nadal, with three apiece. There are signs that Djokovic is starting to mount a serious comeback, and may soon be competing at the top levels once again. So, it might still be a while before the era of the "Big Four" or "Big Five" (and especially the top three of those elites) will end.
What makes it all the more remarkable is that they are all very classy, likable guys. Nadal showed humility and serious decency after winning the French Open for an unbelievable 11th time yesterday, and he has always shown that decent side of himself. Federer, also, carries himself with a certain measure of class and dignity that is inspiring. And Djokovic has sometimes been referred to as the "Joker," mostly because of his strong sense of humor. I remember being highly impressed with his intelligence when he posted an incredibly powerful quote not long after losing the French Open final in 2015, which was one of the most crushing defeats that I have seen any man suffer in the sport. As disappointing as that was (and all of these men have faced similar crushing disappointments and career setbacks at one time or another), he bounced back to enjoy the most incredible strong of Grand Slam success that we have seen in the past half a century, winning all four of the next Grand Slam events. That is indicative of the level of greatness and overcoming obstacles that we have been so privileged to see with these guys, and it is the reason that I, as a fan, am focusing on appreciating just how great these guys are, and how great we as fans have it by being able to watch them, for however much longer they last as the elites in the sport.
So the "Big Four" have dominated in an unprecedented manner for just shy of a decade and a half now, and that dominance is even greater if you add Wawrinka. Of course, you could make the argument that Wawrinka does not belong in that group. Wawrinka himself made that argument by suggesting that his level of consistency has not been on the level with those other guys, as evidence by the fact that he is the only one of the "Big Five," if you will, never to have been ranked number one. By the same token you could likely make an argument that Murray is the weak link of the "Big Four," having won far and away the least number of Grand Slams among them, and having also spent far and away the least amount of time as the world's number one of the four men, as well.
However, one thing remains certain: men's tennis during the open era has never seen this level of dominance by so few men. First, it was Federer shattering all kinds of records, spending more straight time undisturbed atop the rankings (237 consecutive weeks) than any other man ever has before, and piling up tournament wins, and especially Grand Slam wins. At some point, from the 2005 Wimbledon on, he made the finals of more consecutive events than any other man in history, and made it to ten straight Grand Slam finals (winning eight of them), and qualified for 18 Grand Slam finals out of 19 overall played, only failing to reach the Australian Open final in 2008. He won 12 of those Grand Slam finals during that time Then Nadal broke through in 2005 and shot up to the number two ranking, but at first he specialized just on the clay courts. Eventually, he broke through elsewhere, winning the 2008 Wimbledon and taking the number one ranking for the first time, while never breaking stride at the French Open. He would win at Roland Garros nine times in a ten year span, and managed to consistently win Grand Slams and reach the number one ranking for years since. Then came Djokovic with an excellent year in 2007, and he broke through with his first Grand Slam win at the Australian in 2008. It would take a few years for him to win another Grand Slam and come into his own, but once he did, he had one of the greatest eras that any man has ever seen, winning 11 Grand Slams from 2011 through 2016, including that incredible four straight slams from Wimbledon 2015 through the French in 2016. During that stretch, he was ranked number one for all but one year, with Nadal breaking through to end 2013 as the number one. Andy Murray went to nine Grand Slam finals, breaking through for a win for the first time at Wimbledon in 2012, and so far, winning three career Grand Slam titles, as well as two consecutive Olympic gold medals. He ended 2016 as the number one ranked man, and held that distinction for 41 consecutive weeks.
Overall, Federer has spent more weeks as the top ranked man (309 weeks throughout his career) than any other man in tennis history. Fifth on that list is Novak Djokovic, with 223 weeks overall as the number one ranked man, followed closely by the current number one, Rafael Nadal, with 177 weeks atop the men's rankings. Add those together, that is 709 weeks with one of those three men holding the number one ranking. There are 521 weeks in a decade, and one of these three guys have held the number one ranking for just about a decade and a half, and counting. Remember, Nadal currently holds the top spot, and if he slips at all, Federer, the current number two, might take it. From February 2, 2004, when Federer first clmbed to reach the number one ranking, to November 6, 2016, when Andy Murray (again, one of the "Big Four") wrestled it away from Djokovic, these three men played tag team with the top ranking, exchanging turns atop the rankings, and keeping literally all other men's tennis players at bay during that incredibly long stretch of over 12 straight years! I think it is fair to say that we will never see an era quite like that again, with so few men completely dominating the men's field. And remember, they had to compete against one another, and still all three broke through to win an incredible amount of tournament and achieve stunning levels of success, while having to compete with the other greats of all time in the sport!
I remember feeling in awe of the greatness in the rivarly between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the nineties and into the early 2000's. Indeed, it was one of the great rivalries in the sport's history, yet I do not believe that either man can hold a candle to the legendary status of the top three of the "Big Four." These three men - Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic - are probably among the top three players in history, if not the top three of all time. They have been so good, that it is almost frightening to think of how much more successful any of them might have been in the absence of one, let alone both, of the other two men. Can you imagine how many more Grand Slams and weeks atop the rankings any of these men might have enjoyed without the others breaking through and holding them back? As reat as Sampras and Agassi undeniably were (and Agassi was my favorite tennis player), they never reached the level of excellence that these three have reached.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the top three of the "Big Four" is that each of them has accomplished some incredible things that the others cannot boast. Between Sampras and Agassi, it was easy. Sampras had won more Grand Slams, and spent way more time atop the rankings, yet Agassi achieved the career Grand Slam, as well as the career Golden Slam. But with the guys out there right now, they had to do more to stand out against the others. All three of the top three guys have won the career Grand Slam. Federer spent more time atop the rankings than any other man in history, both consecutively and overall. He also had that stretch of ten straight Grand Slam finals and 18 of 19 Grand Slam finals overall. His achievements consistently qualify him in the minds of most as the greatest men's tennis player ever. Nadal won more French Open titles than any other man has won any other single Grand Slam event, winning more French Open titles than all but six men have won combined Grand Slam titles. He also is one of the few men to have achieved a convincing winning record against Federer, and he is the only one of the three to have won the career Golden Slam. And Djokovic won four straight Grand Slam titles, becoming only the third man in history to have done so, and the only one in history to have done that on three different surfaces. Plus, he is the only man during this era to consistently get the better of Nadal, achieving something that Federer never seemed capable of doing by defeating Nadal at the French Open (he is one of only two men to have done so, and the only one to have done it while Nadal was not seriously impaired with an injury).
A while ago, one of the "Big Four," (I think it was Nadal, although it might have been Djokovic) suggested that the era of dominance for these four men was coming to an end. Perhaps, but consider that the last six Grand Slam championships have been won by Federer and Nadal, with three apiece. There are signs that Djokovic is starting to mount a serious comeback, and may soon be competing at the top levels once again. So, it might still be a while before the era of the "Big Four" or "Big Five" (and especially the top three of those elites) will end.
What makes it all the more remarkable is that they are all very classy, likable guys. Nadal showed humility and serious decency after winning the French Open for an unbelievable 11th time yesterday, and he has always shown that decent side of himself. Federer, also, carries himself with a certain measure of class and dignity that is inspiring. And Djokovic has sometimes been referred to as the "Joker," mostly because of his strong sense of humor. I remember being highly impressed with his intelligence when he posted an incredibly powerful quote not long after losing the French Open final in 2015, which was one of the most crushing defeats that I have seen any man suffer in the sport. As disappointing as that was (and all of these men have faced similar crushing disappointments and career setbacks at one time or another), he bounced back to enjoy the most incredible strong of Grand Slam success that we have seen in the past half a century, winning all four of the next Grand Slam events. That is indicative of the level of greatness and overcoming obstacles that we have been so privileged to see with these guys, and it is the reason that I, as a fan, am focusing on appreciating just how great these guys are, and how great we as fans have it by being able to watch them, for however much longer they last as the elites in the sport.
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